How to Eliminate Food Cravings

Despite what you may have heard, overcoming food cravings has nothing to do with willpower

Oxygen, food, and water are the three main things we need to stay alive. If we’re deprived of any of them for a significant period (not very long, when it comes to oxygen), the body and brain have powerful mechanisms that move us to breathe, eat, or drink. In the case of food, the brain is particularly sensitive to sudden drops in blood sugar and releases a number of chemicals that drive us to crave sugars and sweets to raise blood sugar levels. Our intestinal tract and fat cells also secrete hormones that tell us it’s time to eat.

Appetite in Overdrive?

People without weight problems benefit from a fully functioning system of appetite control—compounds such as hormones, peptides, neurotransmitters, and glucose that circulate in the blood and are sensed and acted upon by the brain. People of normal weight don’t usually experience frequent cravings for unhealthy foods. They simply feel hungry at appropriate times. They are also inclined to feel satisfied when they eat modest sized portions that don’t promote weight gain.

Unfortunately, when abdominal fat cells are enlarged in overweight and obese individuals, this complex system of appetite control becomes altered. The key factor that leads to this disruption is insulin resistance.

Resetting Appetite Control

Resistance to the hormone insulin sets the stage for intense food cravings. In more primitive times, insulin resistance filled the purpose of helping humans pack on the pounds when food was abundant so that they could survive during famine. Today, we don’t usually have that problem, and as a result our physiology is stuck in the fat-storing mode with an overactive appetite.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to fix your appetite control system and free yourself from excessive food cravings. Two powerful natural approaches to doing this are stabilizing blood sugar and boosting serotonin levels in your brain.

Stabilizing Blood Sugar

The first step to eliminating food cravings is to treat the cause—in most cases, blood sugar volatility due to insulin resistance. Using breakthrough technology, Michael Lyon, MD, and
I discovered that maintaining blood sugar levels within a very narrow range is the real key to controlling
an overactive appetite. When people are on what we call the “blood sugar roller coaster,” they have very little control over their appetite or portion sizes. This is because every time they experience a quick drop in blood
sugar levels, the brain goes into panic mode and secretes powerful appetite stimulators, as well as hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, to boost blood sugar.

Much of the effect of blood sugar fluctuations on appetite control can be traced to specialized brain cells called glial cells that surround every brain cell. Glial cells are important in sensing the level of glucose in the blood. Every time blood sugar drops rapidly, glial cells send powerful signals to brain regions, such as the hypothalamus, which then stimulate food cravings. Because of insulin resistance and its accompanying poor glucose regulation, overweight people often experience near constant commands to eat.

So, how do you improve blood sugar control and insulin resistance? Here are seven keys:

Eat a low-glycemic-load diet. One to try: The Blood Sugar Solution by Mark Hyman, MD.

Try a viscous fiber supplement (the super fiber PGX has the most data behind it; take 2.5–5 grams before meals).

Supplement with chromium, which is necessary for insulin to work properly, at a dosage of 200–400 mcg per day.

Get a handle on stress.

Ensure that you never really get hungry by consuming low-calorie snacks, such as fresh vegetables and fruit, between meals.

Engage in physical exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.

Plan your daily menu in advance.

5-HTP and Saffron

Low levels of the brain chemical serotonin are another factor involved in food cravings. The manufacture of serotonin begins with the amino acid tryptophan. Insulin resistance or excess cortisol creates a block in the conversion of tryptophan to 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)—the intermediate step between tryptophan and serotonin. Fortunately, several studies have shown that taking 5-HTP supplements can reduce cravings and carb intake, leading to significant weight loss.

A new alternative to 5-HTP is Satiereal, an extract of saffron that shows similar effects in reducing food cravings and boosting serotonin levels. For 5-HTP, the usual dosage is 50–100 mg three times daily. For Satiereal, the dosage is 15 mg twice daily.

Welcome

On the Dr Oz show

On the show I discussed the failure of conventional medicine to address the underlying issues in many health conditions offering little more than drugs as biochemical “band aids.”

December is Seasonal Affective Disorder Awareness Month

In seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is associated with winter depression Typically, these individuals not only feel depressed they also feel tried, slow down, and generally oversleep, overeat, and crave carbohydrates in the winter. In the summer, these same patients feel very good and maybe even are elated, active, and energetic.

Although many variables may be responsible for SAD, insufficient light exposure is the most logical explanation. Many mammals exhibit seasonal variations in activity level, sleep patterns, and appetite and are extremely sensitive to changes in day length. The antidepressant effects of full-spectrum light therapy have been demonstrated in well-monitored, controlled studies in SAD. The antidepressant effect of light therapy is probably due to the restoration of proper melatonin synthesis and secretion by the pineal gland, leading to reestablishment of the proper circadian rhythm. Full-spectrum white light (10,000 lux) is prescribed for at least 30 minutes every day in the morning. Or, better yet, use full-spectrum lighting throughout the indoor environment.

The key hormonal change caused by exposure to full spectrum lighting may be a reduced secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland and an increased secretion of cortisol by the adrenal glands. Melatonin supplementation is thought to improve SAD because it increases brain melatonin levels, but it may also suppress cortisol secretion.Take 3-5 mg 45 minutes before retiring.

Vitamin D is also an important consideration. Many experts recommend a dosage of 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily, especially during the winter months.

Mind Your Ps and Qs

PQQ may be the perfect answer to preventing or reversing age-related mental decline.

kiwiPQQ (short for pyrroloquinoline quinone) is a vitamin-like compound found in plant foods that shows a wide range of benefits for brain function and energy production. Learn more about PQQ with the following Q&A.
What Exactly Does PQQ Do?

PQQ is an extremely potent antioxidant that is able to carry out the role of an antioxidant in the body more than 20,000 times—which is a rare thing. For example, other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, are only able to accomplish this “cycling” process about four times.
Are There Any Food Sources of PQQ?

PQQ has been found in all plant foods analyzed to date. Particularly PPQ-rich foods include parsley, green peppers, kiwi, papaya, and tofu. These foods contain 2–3 mcg of PQQ per 100 grams. Green tea provides about the same amount per 4-oz. serving. While these amounts appear to be sufficient in helping our cells carry out their basic functions, research indicates that boosting PQQ through supplementation can produce some amazing effects.